Forensic Services
The William R. Sharpe, Jr. Hospital has designated 50 beds for the provision of specialized treatment and competency restoration services to patients who have been diagnosed with a mental illness, defined under the DSM-IV, and have an offender profile under the West Virginia State Law. In general, forensic means the area where medicine and crime intersect.
The hospital receives a variety of forensic patients who have been declared by the judicial system as either not guilty by reason of mental illness or incompetent to stand trial because of mental illness.
The operation and design of the forensic program reflects the philosophy that even if an individual has a criminal history, he or she deserves the best psychiatric treatment possible to control their mental illness. William R. Sharpe, Jr. Hospital is not a jail or prison, and our two fold goals are;
First, to evaluate and treat the psychiatric illness until the patient has gained competency to stand trial and can be returned to the judicial system to assist in their own defense and receive a fair trial.
Second, to treat and provide therapy to the not guilty by reason of mental illness forensic patient until he or she has gained optimal mental health and has reached maximum benefit from an inpatient psychiatric facility. Discharge will be considered when he or she is evaluated to be stable and a safe placement can be structured to promote the individual in becoming a functional member of society.